Have you ever thought about using outdoor advertising – you know, those billboards that dot the highways and grab the attention of thousands of motorists every day? Have you wondered how to set up a contract, choose the right colors, or develop effective copy and create an attention-getting design?

Wait a minute. Back up. Have you ever thought about the fact that ‘outdoor advertising’ includes a lot more than billboards? The Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) groups outdoor ads into four formats – billboards, street furniture, transit signs, and alternative advertising.

That’s right, street furniture. We see advertising all the time on such things as bus shelters, benches, bicycle racks and parking garages.

Transit vehicles are also an increasingly popular mode, accounting for up to 12% of all outdoor advertising revenue. Exterior and interior signage on buses, as well as the public areas of transit stations, airports and terminals, are all a common sight.

Alternative media encompasses everything from shopping bags to sports arenas. Some creative advertisers have even wrapped stairways and put up four-story banners on the sides of buildings.

But billboards are still the most popular form and account for the largest share of outdoor advertising dollars.

In general, there are two kinds of billboards – posters and bulletins:

• Posters are the smaller boards you see when you drive through town. They generally are around 10’ x 20’, and they’re usually used for promotional messages, such as “2 Egg McMuffins for 2 Bucks” or “Relay for Life, March 2” and they usually are bought on 30-day contracts.
• Bulletins are what you probably think of as traditional billboards. Although they vary in size, they’re frequently 10’ x 40’, 10’6” x 36’, or 14’ x 48’. They’re used for both directional information and for long-term promotional or brand advertising. They’re usually sold on 12-month contracts – or longer.

If you’re considering billboards for your business, first ask yourself the following questions:

1. Will directional outdoor advertising drive traffic to my business?
2. Are there boards available that are located where my customers travel? (Poster boards are sometimes sold as “rotators” and move around the market every 30-60 days. So, if you opt for this kind of program, make sure the boards don’t rotate out of your trading area.)
3. Is my message strong enough to motivate consumer action?
4. Is the benefit of a board – or boards – great enough to justify the expense?
5. Does outdoor advertising fit my overall strategic marketing plan? (If it doesn’t, either the plan needs revising or you need to forget about using billboards.)

If you can answer yes to all these questions, then it may make sense to move ahead. Just be forewarned that billboards can be expensive.

Outdoor posters usually cost a few hundred dollars per month and bulletins run from several hundred to a few thousand on major arteries in key markets. In addition there is frequently a charge for production – printing the huge vinyl sheets that get attached to the boards – that runs a few hundred per board.

If you still think it’s a good choice, the next step is to contact your ad agency or the outdoor advertising company. The smartest move is to turn the project over to your agency since they’re in the business of putting together results-producing programs for their clients and will do the job right from start to finish. But, if you go directly to the outdoor company, make sure they take the following into account when developing your boards.

1. A billboard is only viewed for an average seven seconds, so your message needs to be short with a high impact. A good rule of thumb is eight to ten words in the entire ad. And, the design needs to be clean and uncluttered.
2. Make sure you include the name of your business, contact information, and, if it’s a directional board, the directions (duh). The rest of your copy could include a short branding or a promotional message.
3. Copy should be large. The exact size depends upon board dimensions and your overall design. And, use a font that’s easily readable. Normally that means using thick sans serif lettering.
4. Use colors that will appeal to your target audience. Psychology.about.com reports that color impression in an ad can account for up to 60% of the acceptance or rejection of the product or service being advertised.

That’s a quick course in Outdoor Advertising 101.

If you have questions about this or other marketing strategies, give us a call at 828-253-7255. We’re always happy to discuss your marketing needs at no charge.